It started as a thoughtful gesture. Erika Pitstick wrote a book to give as a Christmas gift for her husband, Price. It’s a children’s book titled “My Daddy the Tree Climber.”
“The main heart of it all was a token for me to be able to say as a wife, I’m so proud of you and I see the work you do, I see the sacrifice you make for us,” proclaims Pitstick. “I acknowledge the work you do is hard, and I’m thankful.”
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The mother of three says she was inspired by the sweet moment shared between Price and their children when he comes home after a long day of work. They own Price Right Professional Landscaping & Tree Service in Arlington.
“That’s also why the book was a perfect gift,” says Pitstick. “Because my husband loves nature, and he loves being outside. That’s his office, and this story captures this stage of our lives.”
Pitstick had the story printed for her husband and other family members. She didn’t plan to publish the book, but then asked herself, “Why not?”
She researched her way through the process of getting it put on amazon.com, and it quickly ranked No. 1 in two different new releases categories: Gardening & Horticulture Trees and 15-Minute Craft, Hobby & Home Short Reads.
The success encouraged Pitstick. In April, she released a second book, “Spring Time is Here.” It’s described online as a “Sweet way to introduce kids to spring! The story ends with a fun family activity suggestion that every family should try!”
The book references Pitstick’s second venture, the FunTime Dinnertime box. The FunTime Dinnertime box is a tool to help families slow down from the daily chaos and set aside electronics to enjoy purposeful time together.
“There needs to be something we can do where we can look forward to and really teach our kids to be intentional about sitting at a table and actually be involved,” says Pitstick.
All of the boxes contain a family game, a family craft, table decor and dinner recipe ideas.
“A lot of times I didn’t see the potential of what my dinner table could really do or what it could bring, so I started putting some effort behind decorating it,” explains Pitstick. “You really have to set the tone, the environment in your home.”
There are themed boxes for all of the main holidays and celebrations throughout the year.
Pitstick hopes they become a tradition for families.
“It’s a fun event,” she says. “It doesn’t have to be something weekly, but if you create the anticipation behind ‘box day,’ then it gives them something to be excited about!”
Plus, it’s something they use to help to create memories.
“So the kids will be like ‘Wow, those boxes were awesome! I remember that’s when I learned this about my dad,’” envisions Pitstick. “Or ‘my sister and I just laughed, or talked for hours that night.’”
For more: funtimedinnertime.com.
